


Forever Young

by taitofan



Category: Bravely Default (Video Game) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Eventual Romance, Family Fluff, Immortality, M/M, Minor Character Death, Parenthood, Two Fathers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-27
Updated: 2016-01-27
Packaged: 2018-05-16 18:14:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5835817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taitofan/pseuds/taitofan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A year after taking Lester's hair to save Victoria, Victor ends up at Lester's door.  He isn't alone, but the child with him isn't the girl Lester would have expected.</p>
<p>aka Lilia DeRosso Has Two Daddies</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forever Young

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this about two years ago, and though I'm not sure how much I'll update it, I liked what I had enough to finally put it up. Whatever sprawling plot I had before will likely just be little family pieces now, but who knows!

It was a quiet, entirely uneventful day when the letter arrived.  Lester DeRosso didn’t even know what to think when he noticed the guard standing outside of his castle, shivering in fear as he held the letter tightly.  And though he found it rather amusing when he suddenly teleported before the trembling man in a burst of smoke and watched him scream and run away, that amusement quickly vanished when he opened the letter and read its short message.

_I shall be arriving within the week._

_-Doctor Victor S. Court_

The first—and last, for that matter—time Victor had visited his castle, the young doctor had shown up unannounced and proved the depths of his despair to earn a lock of hair.  How long had that been?  It was hard to keep track of time when it meant nothing to you, but he assumed it must have been just over a year.  Why Victor felt the need to announce himself this time, he had no idea.  But whatever the reason…

Well, at least he had something to look forward to.

Victor did not disappoint, showing up four days later, waltzing into the castle as if he were meant to be there.  The large pack he wore was the first indication that something very interesting was about to happen.

“Lord DeRosso,” Victor greeted cordially.  “I trust you have been well?”

Being in no hurry, Lester decided to humor the young man’s small talk.

“Yes, I thank you for asking.  And you, Doctor?  Have things calmed down in the Duchy yet?”  Lester wanted no more to do with them now than he did in years prior.  Victor, however, seemed to be the type who thrived in that sort of environment.  Therefore, when he scowled, it took Lester by surprise.

“Those people…  Those foolish _idiots_ …”  Just as quickly as the dark look had crossed Victor’s face, it was gone.  It was then Lester noticed that any spark that had still been in Victor’s eyes when last they met was now gone.  He could guess what had happened in the past year.  “Victoria passed on two months after I received the hair sample you gave me.”

Immediately, Lester knew that there was something wrong with that statement.  If Victoria died so many months ago, why would Victor pick _now_ of all times to see him?  And it still didn’t answer why he’d written ahead.  Lester opened his mouth to ask what was going on, when he was interrupted by a soft gurgle.

Lester was suddenly very aware of the small bundle Victor held in his arms.

“Ah, I see you’ve finally noticed.  Then please, allow me to introduce you.”  Victor moved the swaddling away, revealing a tiny baby, no more than a few months old.  The child had a small tuft of silver hair, and her eyes were a bright ice blue.  The coloring was an exact replica of the man holding the child.  “Lord DeRosso, meet Lilia DeRosso, your daughter.”

It took Lester a moment to process the information thrust upon him.  A daughter…?  Yes, he supposed that a child made from his DNA would indeed be his daughter.  However, he’d assumed Victor meant to use the hair to mix with _Victoria’s_ DNA, not _Victor’s_.  This child looked nothing like Victoria.  She didn’t even look like him.  No, she was Victor, through and through.

“My daughter…”  He murmured, stepping closer to see the baby better.  She gurgled happily when he reached out to gently stroke her cheek.  “Do you not mean _our_ daughter, Victor?  She looks just like you, after all.”

Victor glanced down at Lilia, then slowly nodded.  He had the smallest hint of a smile when she turned her gaze to him and giggled.

“Yes, our daughter.  I’m sure you’re wondering why I didn’t use Victoria’s DNA instead of mine—” At least, Lester thought, Victor was well aware of how odd his actions were.  “—but I’m afraid the answer is rather mundane.  Victoria found out about the lock of hair when I returned with it, and she forbade me to use it in conjunction with her.  She said she didn’t want to live forever unless I would too.  There certainly wasn’t time for me to figure out how to do that, so I kept up her treatments as usual…”

“But they stopped working.”

Victor nodded, and Lester let him compose himself before he began again.

“Yes, it became too much for her poor body.  I had no intentions of using the hair for anything at that point, but in her last words, Victoria made me promise not to follow her, and to find someone else to live for.”  This time, when he looked down at Lilia, the smile on his face was clear.  “So instead I _made_ someone new to live for.  Lilia…  Who, if everything went as planned, will live forever.”

The obvious conclusion jumped out to Lester immediately.  He knew that Victor must know it as well, and now he thought that Victor had stopped by for more than just introducing him to his daughter.

“But you shall not live forever with us.”  Victor laughed, a pitiable, hollow sound, and shook his head.  Lester’s fists clenched reflexively.  “Then, your plan was to bring the child to me and leave?”

Lester wasn’t sure why that thought made him so very angry.  For over two thousand years, he’d been perfectly content living by himself.  Never before had he sought the company of a lover, nor had he longed for a family.  Even upon giving the hair to Victor, he’d never really thought about the resulting child being _his_ child.

“It was…  At first.”  Victor shifted Lilia to one arm, then sat down the pack he had.  It landed with a loud thud, even though it had been set down carefully.  Whatever was inside of it, it was either quite heavy, or there were many, _many_ things within it.  “You see, when the others caught wind of my plans, they attempted to dissuade me, saying I had no idea how to raise a child.  Alternis even had the gall to say my relationship with Victoria had been unhealthily codependent, and I would act the same way with a child!  When the Grand Marshal forbade me from going through with it…  Well, you can see how that turned out.  Now though, I’m afraid I could not hide her presence any longer.  The others are aware of Lilia, and I fear it is unwise to keep her there.”

“Did Braev threaten to… take her away?”  Lester knew he and the Grand Marshal often disagreed on things, but if the man—a father himself!—had tried to remove his daughter from her parents…

“He was quite angry that I disobeyed him, and insisted that I bring her to you, considering you are as much her father as I am.  Originally I thought I’d just run away with her, but if you were willing to take us both…”

Lester hadn’t expected that.  Victor was serious; he wanted to raise Lilia, not abandon her.  And he was apparently ready to leave his position on the Council of Six for the opportunity.  While Lester would have confidently said, even that very morning, that he would never let a man he barely knew _and_ a baby live with him…  Now he had a baby who was his daughter and the man who had made it possible standing in his castle.  How could he turn Victor down?

True, Victor _had_ been rather codependent on Victoria, but he’d taken good care of her and protected her.  If he was that devoted to the girl who’d killed his father, surely he would be just as dutiful to his own daughter.  Besides, it wasn’t as if Lester himself was without sin, and he wasn’t about to judge Victor’s past.

Maybe, _just maybe_ , having people around would be nice for a change.

“Very well.  You may both stay here.  But be warned, if you wish to attempt to be a…” he paused, needing a moment to process the very idea before it could roll off his tongue, “… _family_ , that is what we shall be.  I won’t have you disappearing, either alone or with Lilia.”

“I understand.”  Victor glanced down at Lilia, and Lester didn’t think he’d have to worry.  The look on the younger man’s face said everything.  “And I thank you for allowing us to stay, Lord DeRosso.”

“There is no need for thanks,” Lester assured him, though he knew that Victor was smart—he’d know full well that this was indeed a large change to the life Lester had lived for so long.  “And please, call me Lester.  There is no need for such formalities when we have a child together.  Surely, as parents, we can be more intimate than _Lord_ and _Doctor_.”

He hadn’t meant it in a sexual manner, but the way that Victor’s face reddened _just so_ , well, that was perhaps the most interesting part of the entire day.

“I-If you insist.  You may call me Victor, in that case.”

Lilia cooed happily, and Lester smiled.  Yes, maybe this was exactly what he hadn’t known he wanted.


End file.
